LIFEstyle I AM Take the left-of-center character of God from the book The Shack (also played by a lovable African American) and mix it with the jumparound pace of the movie Crash and you’ll get the delivery of this modern adaptation of The Ten Commandments. Pretty cool, though a little short of the aforementioned benchmarks. [Fox Home Entertainment] Doug Van Pelt [ Cuss: 0 | Gore: 0 | Sex: 0 | Spiritual Conversations: 100 ]
THE EXPENDABLES Loaded with talent, this action film mixes the bullets, laughs, chases and explosions well. While worth multiple viewings, it seems to embrace the genre’s clichés rather than rise above them.There’s a hilarious and all-too-short cameo appearance by California’s governor inside a church sanctuary with Stallone and Willis. [Fox Home Entertainment] DV
DVDS BOOKS GADGETS
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WD TV LIVE HUB This little device, though not the first, is on the cutting edge of technology and our corresponding lifestyles. Take your HDTV and pull up media (music, pics, videos) from your wireless network – and don’t forget the internet. With a small remote and an aesthetically nice on-screen menu, it takes the next step to a computerized media center. Bravo! [westerndigital.com] DV [ Setup Ease: B- | Performance: A | Price: $199 ]
AIRCURVE This is the perfect little attention-getter/conversation-starter for your desk at work. A powerless amplification system with channels like an inner ear or seashell that acoustically amplifies your iPod/iPhone’s tunes. It doesn’t crank (adding just 10dB), but for a small indoor space, it’s convenient and sufficient. [griffintechnology.com] DV
[ Cuss: 23 | Gore: 7 | Sex: 0 | Spiritual Conversations: 50 ]
WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS Like Stone’s prequel, this film does a brilliant job of pulling us into the cast of characters. While heroes and villains show contradictory sides of each, it’s easy to hate and/or love them. It’s uncanny how current and prophetic the story’s backdrop appears to be. [Fox Home Entertainment] DV [ Cuss: 16 | Gore: 0 | Sex: 0 | Spiritual Conversations: 70 ]
STRONGER | BRIAN HEAD WELCH Head’s second book is a 40-day devotional with fun and fascinating anecdotes from his life that expound upon a Scripture passage. While not the most brilliant theologian of all time, his matter-of-fact tone and raw style are completely street-level and relatable.
[ Setup Ease: A- | Performance: B+ | Price: $19 ]
WATER CLOCK When it comes to saving energy, this clock can’t be beat. No batteries … not even solar energy. This thing has a couple chambers that you fill with water and the negative and positive ions in the H2O do their stuff. [bedol.com] DV
[ Setup Ease: A | Performance: A+ | Price: $39 ]
KUNG FU LIVE Kung Fu Live for the PS3 brings a whole new level of gaming. Using the Playstation Eye, players are emerged into a side-scrolling Kung Fu world. Using any object found around the house as a Kung Fu butt-kicking weapon to knock out any and every baddie. So players can beat down the thugs with a rolled-up HM...WIN. Every movement is implemented into the game so that the player can pull of some sweet ninja-style flips and powers that Mortal Kombat would be impressed by. Doug Christiansen [ Setup Ease: B+ | Performance: B | Price: $14 ] [ Check out Gamechurch’s first look at Kung Fu Live at PAX 2010: http://tiny.cc/Kung-Fu ]
[HarperOne] DV
BY HIS STRYPES | BRETT CHRISTENSEN This is a beautiful picture book that was put together with the full cooperation of Stryper, which means it features tons of fantastic photos from its multi-platinum career. Some great iconic moments are shared side-by-side with rare glimpses behind the scenes. [Wisconsin Music] DV
TEACH YOURSELF ACOUSTIC GUITAR PACK Having perfected their self-paced guitar instruction software, eMedia have made learning even easier with all you need: a nice Sequoia beginner’s acoustic guitar; software with chord charts, lessons, a tuner, video and audio lessons to learn on.With an affordable price, it’s easy to get motivated. [emedia.com] DV [ Setup Ease: A+ | Performance: A | Price: $99 ]
CLOSING THE WINDOW | TIM CHESTER Porn is everywhere, easy to access, easy to become addicted. In Christ we are made new and given a desire to be like Jesus. Chester’s book outlines five A’s: abhorrence of porn, adoration of God, assurance of grace, avoidance of temptation and accountability to others. Is is not enough to remove porn from our lives, we must fill our lives with the glory of God. The author deals with the issues that lead to porn: boredom, loneliness, depression; as well as the causes of addiction: desire for power, desire to be worshipped. He states that trying to kick the habit by ourselves will lead to pride and self-justification. By confessing our sin to God and to each other, we receive forgiveness and grace.The pleasure of God is more satisfying than pleasure of porn. [IVP] Steve McNulty (CAMPA - Confidential Accountability Ministry for Porn Addiction)
MARSHALL HEADPHONES This genius move, which includes major style and substance, should’ve happened a long time ago. All-black cushioned headphones with one of the most recognizable brands in rock deliver a killer sound with a major kick. I love the details, like the coiled cable and the gold-plated jack. They fold up for tote-able storage. The only drawback is size. I have to use the largest setting to get them to fit and, even though I’m an ego-maniac, my head ain’t that big! [marshallheadphones.com] DV [ Setup Ease: A+ | Performance: A+ | Price: $99 ]
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